Golf practice game



Jan. 20, 1959 SON 2,869,875

GOLF PRACTICE GAME,

Filed Oct. 28, 1955 United States Patent GOLF PRACTICE GAME William Steenson, Long Beach, Calif.- Application October 28, 1955, Serial No. 543,313

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-177) This invention relates to a golf practice game or instructor to be used either indoor or outdoors, and which will instruct the user as to the proper method of putting a golf ball, or a short chip shot may also be practiced.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel golf practice game or instructing device in which the two spaced wickets can be quickly and easily mounted in operative position, either indoors on a rug or outdoors on a lawn, or on bare ground if desired.

' Another object of my invention is to provide a novel golf practice game or instructing device in which the mounting means for the wickets can be used for both a rug for indoors play, or the same mounting means may be used in grass or in the ground.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel game or instructing device of the character stated, in which a cord extends between the wickets which acts asa guide to indicate to the player a correct swing, and also the correct movement of the ball. The cord may also be arranged in difierent colors of one foot in length or more so that the distance between the wickets can be quickly and easily indicated.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my golf practice game or instructor in operative position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the wickets.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one of the wickets.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the wickets in playing position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, my golf practice game or instructing device includes a pair of wickets 1-2. The wickets may be formed of any suitable material and the width of the wicket is approximately the size of the usual golf cup, or somewhat wider if desired. The wickets 1-2 are mounted in an upright position by the following means: A foot 3 is pivotally secured to the lower end of one leg of the wicket 1. A similar foot 4 is pivotally secured to one of the legs of the other wicket 2. The feet 34 are each preferably formed of metal, although a plastic might be equally applicable. A fork or prong 5 is pivotally attached to the outer end of each of the feet 3 and 4. The prongs 5 are sharpened at one end, so that they can be pushed into the ground or into the body of a carpet, if the game is played indoors. The feet 3 and 4 move through an angle of 90 only and when raised are parallel with the wicket 1 or 2, and thus form a compact and easily carried assembly. When the feet 3 and 4 are swung downwardly through an angle of 90 the horizontal wall of the channel portion 3' will engage the bottom of the wickets 1 or 2 which act as a stop. When the prongs 5 are now embedded in the ground or in a carpet the wickets 1 and 2 will be held in an upright position. When the prongs 5 are embedded in the ground they are preferably arranged at right angles to the feet 3 or 4, whereas when used on a carpet the prongs 5 are at an acute angle to the feet 3 or 4, substantially as shown in Figure l. A reel 6 is fixedly attached to, or is an integral part of the Wicket 2, and the reel 6 is preferably on one side of the wicket. A cord 7 is wound on the reel 6 and this cord may be made in different colors, such as red and white, each red area indicating a foot more or less, and similarly each white area indicating a foot more or less. It is thus possible to quickly determine the distance between the wickets 1 and 2 by simply counting the red and white areas between the wickets.

The cord 7 is first unwound from the reel 6 and then extended over a hook or clamp 8, which is pivotally secured to the outer end of the foot 4. The cord then extends to the wicket 1 and is passed through a hole 9 in one leg of the wicket and is then fixedly attached to a spring clip or clamp 10, which is also pivotally secured to the outer end of the foot 3. The wickets 12 are preferably horizontally offset somewhat, one from the other, when in playing position and the ball 11 is placed close to the cord 7 and adjacent one of the wickets. That is, the wickets are not in direct alignment with each other. When putting towards the other wicket the cord7 acts as a guide or indicator as to the proper swing of the golf club. The golf club should swing both backwardly and forwardly in a line directly towards the other wicket, or towards the cup. A flag or prop 12 may be provided between the wickets 1 and 2 and may be driven into the ground, or fastened in the rug at any distance desired. The fiag 12 is to practice chipping, the ball moving in its flight over the flag 12 and then striking the ground and then rolls towards the wicket 2.

In operati0n.The wickets 1--2 are placed the desired distance apart. The cord 7 is reeled at the desired distance and is passed over the hook S, thence to the wicket 1 through the hole 9 and is looped around the clamp or fastener 10. The ball 11 is now placed adjacent the wicket 1 and close to the cord 7. The player now strokes the ball 11 with the club and observes that the club 7 head should move parallel with the cord 7 at all times. Also when observing the roll of the ball 11 it should parallel the cord 7. Any deviation from this movement will indicate that the ball was improperly struck. The wickets 1-2 can be moved any desired distance apart, thus instructing the player as to distance. The player can become familiar with the required force to use in order to drive the ball 11 various putting distances. Again if the wickets 1+2 are placed a considerable distance apart, for example 20 or 30 feet, chip shots can be practiced and again the cord 7 acts as a guide or indicator for the golf head to teach the player to move the golf club head in a plane directly in line with the other wicket.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A golf practice game and instructor comprising a first wicket and a second wicket spaced therefrom, a foot pivotally mounted' on the lower end of each of the wickets and on a leg thereof, said feet being movable to a position at right angles to the leg of a wicket, a fork pivotally mounted at the outer end of each foot, said fork being adapted to penetrate into the ground or a carpet to hold the wicket in an upright position, a reel on one of said wickets, a cord wrapped on said reel and extending to the other of said wickets, and detachable cord engaging means on the foot of said other wicket to releasably hold said cord.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 612,965 Gallup Oct. 25, 1898 1,536,512 McLaren May 5, 1925 1,587,295 Gammeter June 1, 1926 1,715,365 l-lofiman June 4, 1929 2,162,867 Smith June 20, 1939 

